Safety ski binding comprising retaining belt



Jan. 13, 1970 F. PETZ 3,489,425

SAFETY SKI BINDING COMPRISING RETAINING BELT Filed May 1, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l pm fimz, MMMz v ATTORNEYS Jan. 13, 1970 I F. PETZ 3,489,425

SAFETY SKI BINDING COMPRISING RETAINING BELT Filed May 1, 1967 1 2 Sheets-Shae? 2 5 I 0 2 IE1 Z2 0 A BEL-2. 2

92. U i j INVENTOR BY I FRITZ PETZ m wzm ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,489,425 SAFETY SKI BINDING COMPRISING RETAINING BELT Fritz Petz, Lermoos, Austria, assignor to Hannes Marker, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany Filed May 1, 1967, Ser. No. 635,259 Claims priority, application Austria, May 3, 1966, A 4,178/66 Int. Cl. A63c 9/086 US. Cl. 280-1135 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rear retaining belt part is provided for releasing the skiing boot in response to a fall. An automatic heelreleasing device comprises a locking device which is effective to lock the rear retaining belt part when the automatic heel-releasing device is closed.

This invention relates to a safety ski binding, particularly an automatic heel-releasing device comprising a retaining belt part, which releases the skiing boot in the case of a fall.

In a known automatic heel-releasing device, the retaining belt comprises a rubber cable, which is slung around the skiing boot and secured to the automatic heel-releasing device by a snap hook. When the automatic heel-releasing device opens in response to a fall, the rubber cable is stretched to release the skiing boot. This rubber cable has the disadvantage that it cannot afford additional lateral support to the skiing boot, different from a usual longthong strapping. Besides, the use of this rubber cable involves the danger that after a fall the tensile force of the stretched rubber cable throws the ski against the skier. This occurrence has resulted in serious injuries.

In another known design, the last-mentioned disadvantage has been avoided in that the retaining belt was made of leather and provided with a rear part which extends from the automatic heel-releasing device to the skiing boot in the form of a loop or such an arc that the skiing boot will be reliably released in the case of a fall. The forward part of this type of retaining belt can be firmly tied around the skiing boot. On the other hand, it fails also to provide a lateral support because the connection to the automatic heel-releasing device and ski is loose.

It is an object of the invention to provide a safety ski binding, particularly an automatic heel-releasing device, which binding comprises a longthong which can be firmly tied to afford an additional lateral support without adversely affecting the reliable operation of the automatic heel-releasing device.

This object is accomplished in that the automatic heelreleasing device comprises a locking device which is effec tive to lock the rear retaining belt part when the automatic heel-releasing device is closed. This locking of the rear retaining belt part when the automatic heel-releasing device is closed enables a tight tying of the longthong, which is attached, e.g., by means of a circular or triangular ring, to the free end of the rear retaining belt part, so that an additional lateral support is afforded to the skiing boot.

The invention will be described hereinafter with reference to illustrative embodiments shown in the drawings, in which FIGS. 1a, lb are a side elevation (1a) and top plan view (1b) showing a first embodiment with the automatic heel-releasing device closed,

FIGS. 2a, 2b a side elevation (2a) and a top plan view (2b) showing a first embodiment with the automatic releasing device opened,

FIG. 3 a side elevation showing a second embodiment.

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The automatic heel-releasing device is known per se and only diagrammatically shown. All details not related to the subject matter of the invention have been omitted.

In FIG. 10!, an automatic heel-releasing device 2 is secured to a ski 1. For the sake of convenience, it has been assumed that the automatic heel-releasing device turns about a fulcrum 3 when opening in response to a fall. The part 2a which springs open in response to a fall is provided according to the invention with a guide eye 4, in which the rear retaining belt part 5 is easily movable and guided when the automatic heel-releasing device is open. The rear end of the retaining belt part 5 is secured to an eye 6. The retaining belt part 5 has close to its forward end a slot 7, which is reinforced with metal (FIG. 2b). As is shown in FIG. 1b, the guide eye 4 as well as that part 2a which springs Open in response to a fall have a slot 8. The fixed part 2b of the automatic heel-releasing device has fixedly secured to it a pin 9, which extends through the part 2a and the guide eye 4 when the automatic heelreleasing device is closed.

To apply the ski when the automatic releasing device 2 is open, the skier pushes the rear retaining belt part 5 in the direction of the arrow A through the guide eye 4 until the slot 7 of the belt 5 registers with the slot 8 of the guide eye 4. The detection of the correct position may be facilitated by a stop, not shown. When the skier then depresses in known manner the part 2a of the automatic heel-releasing device, the pin 9 will snap into the guide eye 4 and the slot 7 so that the rear retaining belt part 5 is locked. A commercial longthong 11 of leather, which is attached to a circular or semicircular or triangular ring 10, may now be firmly tied around the skiing boot so as to afford an additional lateral support to said boot.

When the automatic releasing device opens in response to a fall, the pin 9 is pulled out of the guide eye 4 and the slot 7 of the retaining belt part 5 so that the belt 5 can slide through the guide eye 4 opposite to the direction of the arrow A. The skiing boot will thus be reliably released if the retaining belt part 5 is of suitable length.

FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of the invention. The rear retaining belt part 5 consists suitably of wire or a plastic material cable 12, which extends through a circular eye 13, secured to the movable part 2a of the automatic heel-releasing device, and through a bore 14 into the interior of the automatic heel-releasing device and may be wound on a roller 15. The winding may be effected, e.g., by the restoring force of a coil spring 17, which is secured to the fixed axle 16 and the roller 15, or in a suitable manner by hand with the aid of a crank. The cable 12 may be locked as in FIGSla and lb. Alternatively, the roller 15 itself may be locked by a pin 18 or a locking key in response to the closing of the automatic heel-releasing device. The axle 16 may be held in any desired position.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a retaining belt and a ski binding having an automatic heel-releasing device with the belt preventing total disconnection of the ski boot upon actuation of the heel-releasing device, the rear end of said retaining belt attached to the ski binding, the front end of said belt adapted to be connected to the ski boot, a portion of said retaining belt adjacent the front end thereof lockable to the binding, said heel-releasing device including means for locking said retaining belt via said lockable portion when the heel-releasing device is closed and releasing said lockable portion responsive to opening of said heel-releasing device.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the heel-releasing device comprises a heel-clamping part including a guide eye with a slot and fixing eye for attachment of the rear end of said belt, said lockable portion of the belt being provided with a slot, and said means comprising a pin for engagement with said slots when the heelclamping part is closed, said pin being withdrawn from said slots upon opening of said heel-releasing device.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said slot in said belt is reinforced by metal.

4. The combination of a retaining belt and a ski binding having an automatic heel-releasing device with the belt preventing total disconnection of the ski boot upon actuation of the heel-releasing device, said belt being comprised et a cable the front end of which is adapted to be connected to the ski boot and the rear end of which is connected to said ski binding, said ski binding being provided with a hoisting device comprising a roller for winding the cable, and means responsive to actuation of the heel-releasing device for locking said roller against rotation and preventing pay out of said cable when said heelreleasing device is closed and unlocking said roller and allowing pay out of said cable when said heel-releasing device is open.

'5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said hoisting device further comprises a coil spring biasing said roller and exerting a restoring force for automatically winding the cable.

6. The combination of claim 4 wherein said means includes a ratchet fixed to said roller and a pin carried by 4 the heel-engaging and releasing part of said ski binding that engages said ratchet and locks same against rotation responsive to closing of said heel-releasing device and withdraws from said ratchet and allows same to rotate responsive to opening of said heel-releasing device.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,259,701 10/1941 Legros. 2,610,068 9/ 1952 Majneri.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,337,872 8/1963 France.

179,790 1/1936 Switzerland.

OTHER REFERENCES German printed application, Ser. No. 1,182,562, printed Nov. 26, 1964, Webcrling.

LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner M. L. SMITH, Assistant Examiner Po-ww UNITED sTm's Pfiiifif OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent 3'489-425 Dated January 13, 1970 t fls) FRITZ PETZ It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Eolunm 1, line 4, delete assignor to Hannes Marker,

Column 1, line 5, delete "Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany" Signed and sealed this 13th day of June 1972 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER ,.JR. Attesting Officer ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Commissioner of Patents 

